Monday, October 12, 2015

Several readers have asked in recent weeks what the story is with the wire/line that, in the right light, is very visible above Avenue A between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street (and maybe elsewhere?)… it has been up there for months now… running from the light pole on the northwest corner of Sixth Street to the southeast corner of Seventh Street… and then across to the northwest corner of Seventh Street…

Another view…

… and because of contractual obligations…

… and it also stretches from the northwest corner of Sixth Street to the southeast corner… (and it looks like some wire up at Fifth and A too...)

26 comments:

"Orthodox Jews are allowed to push baby strollers and carry prayer books on the Jewish Sabbath thanks to a loophole made of fishing line that stretches some 18 miles on utility poles around the city.

The line forms a nearly invisible enclosure, called an eruv in ­Hebrew. Jews are prohibited from doing these simple tasks outside on the Sabbath, but carry them out in the confines of the eruv because it symbolically turns a public space into a private one."

It's the East Village Eruv. It's a demarcation for religiously observant Jews to know where they're able to carry things on Shabbat and holidays. Rule is that you can't carry outside of an Eruv because it's considered work. It's actually checked every week by a rabbi.

From the Manhattan Eruv website:Most of the Eruv consists of fishing wire strung from lamppost to lamppost. It is typically very difficult to see, even if one knows where it is. The most reliable guide to where the Eruv goes is the map and explanation. Furthermore, the wire is designed to survive all natural elements.

On many occasions, the eruv consists of regular buildings. There are no physical markings on these buildings.

On some occasions, there is a gap between the lamppost and the building through which eruv continues. As long as the gap is less than fifteen feet, it is considered a “gateway”, not a break.

In both 18 years in the East Village and as a former employee of the Satmar Hasidim in NYC, I've seen maybe 5 actual orthodox carrying anything on shabbos around here. Methinks that eruv is ancient, at least 30 years old or more?

I've heard it explained that even by exploiting loopholes, these people are still making an effort to abide by God's so-called rules, and therefore maintaining a connection to God and their religion, which is way better than casting aside the so-called rules altogether. At first I was like "Ah that makes sense" and then I was like "Wait, isn't that just another moral loophole?" These people are slick!

Holy crap - Friday during the wind and rain I saw this coming down to the street on 4th A NE corner and thought it may have been a live wire and reported it...Because it was right where a dog or a child could have run into it - someone could have hurt themselves even if it is fishing wire - invisible so you can trip right over it.

You see the wire around parts of Montreal, too, where there are large Hasidic communities. I am surprised to see it here just because I never see Hasidic people in the neighborhood. Could it be the wire is for something else?

Named one of the best NYC Neighborhood blogs in 2016

Named Best Local Website New York 2014 by The Village Voice

Named one of the Essential NYC neighborhood blogs 2014

By the way

Here, you'll find things that you may or may not be interested in about the East Village and other parts of New York City. Appreciating what's here while it's still here. Remembering what's no longer here. Wishing some things weren't here that are here.

We love tips

Have a story idea or tip about something happening in the East Village? Or maybe a photo? Or several photos? Or video! We'd love to hear about it. Or see it. Or something. Please go here to submit a tip.

EVG on Instagram

Named Best Neighborhood Blog in the First Annual Village Voice Web Awards